Drainage valve



July 9, 1935. y E. w. ANGER DRAINAGE VALVE Fild Nov. 2'7, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Ari-175N575 July 9, 1935. E. w. ANGER 2,0@7,358

DRAINAGE VALVE Filed Nov. 27, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 r Was/T55 66am; Z17 WW fowl, 62W 5%.

ATfUH/VEYE y 9, E. w. ANGER 2,007,358

DRAINAGE VALVE Filed Nov. 27, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet s E. w. ANGER DRAINAGE VALVE July 9, 1935.

Filed Nov. 2'7, l931 4 4 Sheets-Sheet .4

' monly used on electric railway cars.

to open and close the inlet Patented July 9, 1935 2,007,353 V DRAINAGE VALVE Edward W. Anger, Chicago, Ills:

Application November 27, 1931,

Serial No. 577,520

' s olai si ci. eta-.8

This invention relates to drainage valves for v fluid pressure systems and has'special reference to drainage valves fordraining liquid from fluid pressure systems with substantially no reduction 'of pressure therein; 1 7

More particularly this invention relates ,to automatic, intermittent acting drainage' valves V for draining liquids, such as water; oilsfand the like, from fluid pressure systems of the type com- The drainage valve is adapted to be attached to the bottom of the main reservoir of the pressure system or wherever liquidsmay collect. a This valve comprises a valve casinghaving an inlet and an outlet with valve members arranged and outlet alternately. Thus the liquid which collects within the pressure system may escape into the drainage valve which is closedlto the outer air, and when the drainage valve inlet is closed the outlet is opened to permit the water in the drainage valve to escape without jafie ting the pressure in the pressuresystem. '7 r 'In fluid pressure systems, a liquid, comprising mostly water; collects within thesystem, due to condensation of the moisture in theifluids; When thisliquid is not frequently drained, itrapidly accumulates, decreasing the storagespace in the reservoir andinterfering with theoperation of the system as a whole. 1 Furthermore, when the system-is exposed to low temperatures, the liquid therein may freeze and impairthe operation of the system. I A small amount of liquid collecting within the system will not ordinarily freeze as the compressed airor other fluid gives off sufiicient heat to prevent this, but when the amount of liquidincreases, the c mpressed air can no longer prevent it from freezing. It is therefore quently. i v -While the present invention will be hereinafter described in connection'with a compressed air brake system of the type commonly employed on electric railway cars, it is to be understood that it is applicable to any fiuid pressure system v An'Obiect of the present invention is to provide a drainage valve'for draining the collected liquid from a fluid pressure system with substantially no reduction of pressurein" the systems I Another object is to provide a drainage valve of the above referred to type which is automatically controlled fordraining the liquid which'col lects within the system at frequent intervalsf Still another object is to provide a drainage valve having a heating element therein to prevent freezing of the liquid within the valve.

;A still, further object is to provide a drainage valve 'which is automatically controlled'either electricallyor by pressure or byfa combination of the two; Y A V trolled drainage valve a iiuid pressure system;

sure-closed and is opened by? a desirable to drain the liquidsifr'e it is also applied to the Further objects wiil be apparent from the fol-.

'lowingdescription when taken in conjunction" with the accompanying drawings, in which latter: 1 Figure l is a diagrammatic view of a fluid pressure system'xwith a pressure and electrically con- .connect'ed thereto; a Fig. 2 ista. diagrammatic view of. afluid pressure system with an: electrically controlled valve connected thereto; Fig; 3'is a cross sectional. view of one form of electrically controlled'drainage valve embodying the present inventiom at'taehed-to a reservoir in Fig. l is a cross-sectional view of another form of valve controlled'by a solenoid and by pressure, attached tofa reservoir'in fluid pressure system;"- H Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view-of still another form of drainagevalve 7 which is springsclosed and pressure-opened;

Fig.6 is a cross 'se'ctional Viewer 2. still further form of drainage valve: which is spring and pressolenoid.

Referri'ng to the drawings and, particularly, to Fig. -l',' there isshown indiagram a typical compressed air system forelectric cars, comprising an electric motor-operatedair compressor I }of usual ordesired type; connected to the main airpressurereservoir 'tby an intake pipe 2. The operation of the compressor is automatically controlled by a'governor switchd suitably connected to the main reservoir 3 and which opens and closes its electric switch 5 in the branch circuit 6' from the: main trolle' circuit, when the pres' determined limits. A pipe l connects the main reservoir to the motorrnans valve '8, which controls' the air pressure in the 'brake cylinder 9. The-brake cylinder 7 tormans valve by the straightair application pipe '10 anda pipe "section i L Another pipe 52 connects the pressure chamber of the valve I3 to the straight air application pipe Iii so -that whenever pressure isapplied to'the brake cylinder 9, pressure chamber in the valve [3. The electric solenoid in' the valve casmg which also/serves to control the valve I 3, is connected to the wire i4, which supplies the electricit'y for operating the compressor i by branch 15. A fuse l6is placed in the line 85 so that if "the car. Another fuse 'l'i is placed in the trolley branch 6 betweenfthe master switch 58 and the switch 5 controlled by the governor 4.

In Fig; 2 a valve l3a is. employed, a which is controlled by a solenoid and a compression spring.

Consequently the air pipe section !2 is dispensed.

With.

9 is connected to the-moanything goes wrong" with the electric circuit I While the drainage valves embodying the present invention are shown as being connected to the main reservoir of a fluid pressure system, it is evident that the valves could be employed to drain the liquid from any other part of the system in which it might accumulate.

Referring to Fig. 3, the details of the drainage valve, such as that of Fig. 2, are shown therein. The valve, connected to the main reservoir 3, comprises a valve casing l9 having an inlet member 20 extending within the reservoir 3 at the bottom thereof. The lower portion of the inlet member 20 is adapted to be threaded into the bottom of the reservoir as it is there that liquid will collect. In order that the casing l3 may be detached from the inlet member 20 without disturbing the latter, the casing is threaded at 2| to the inlet member. Apertures 22 are provided in the sides of the inlet member 20 adjacent the bottom of the reservoir so that the liquid which collects in the reservoir may drain into the inlet member 20. The valve stem 23 has an enlarged portion adjacent the lower end and extends through the inlet member 20 and the casing IS. The stem is preferably formed with a longitudi nally extending central opening 25 in the enlarged portion with apertures 26 and 21 leading from the opening 25 to the outer side of the valve stem 23. When the drainage valve is in the position shown in Fig. 3 with the apertures 22 and 26 in registration, which will hereinafter be described as the open position, the liquid in the bottom of the reservoir 3 will enter the opening 25 in the valve stem through the-apertures 22 and 26 and will flow down through opening 25 and out through the apertures 21 into the valve casing I9. When in open position, the lower end 28 of the valve stem fits tightly into the outlet 29 in the bottom of the casing IS. The valve stem 23 is formed with a reduced portion 38 near the lower end which is smaller than outlet 29. Thus, when the valve stem is moved downwardly so'that the apertures 26 areclosed by the walls of the lower end of the inlet member 20 and are no longer in registration with apertures 22, thereby preventing any further escape offluid from the reservoir, the reduced portion 38 is within outlet 29, thereby allowing the water which has accumulated in the valve casing I8 to escape through the outlet 29.

A collar 3| is secured to the valve stem 23 within the inlet member over which collar a shoulder portion 32 is positioned. A spring 33 or any other suitable resilient means may be positioned between the top 34 of the inlet member 20 and the shoulder portion 32 which tends to hold the valve stem 23 down in closed position. An opening 34a is provided in the top 34 which'prevents any increase or decrease in pressure within the space between the top 34 and the shoulder portion 32 when the valve stem is moved operate the valve. 7

A solenoid 35 contained within the casing 36 which is threaded into the top of the reservoir 3 is secured to the upper side of the reservoir.

Attached to the upper end of the stem 23 by a joint preferably of universal type, is a plunger 24 of iron or other suitable material which is adapted to be acted upon by the solenoid 35. The universal joint prevents binding of the plunger 24 or valve stem 23. When current is passed through the solenoid, the plunger is pulled upward into the position shown in Fig. 3, thereby opening the valve, and when the current is shut off, the spring 33 closes the valve by C os g up and down to closed position,

the inlet and opening the outlet. The solenoid is preferably connected to the wire l4 supplying current to the compressor I. Thus, every time the compressor is operated, the solenoid opens the valve and allows the liquid to drain down into the valve casing IS.

A heating element 31 is positioned within the valve casing to prevent freezing of the liquid therein in cold weather. The heating element 31 is shown as connected in series with the solenoid 35 but it may be equally well connected in parallel if greater current is desired. With this arrangement, current flows through the heating element whenever the compressor is operated. As the greatest condensation takes place when the compressor is operated and the valve is in open position, as shown in Fig. 3, at the time, the liquid drains immediately into the valve casing where the heating element which is also on at the same time, prevents the liquid from freezing;

The form of drainage valve shown in Fig. 4 is controlled by a solenoid and by pressure, but instead of positioning the solenoid at the upper side of the reservoir 3, as shown in Fig. 3, the solenoid is positioned within the upper portion of the valve casing l9 and is set off from the interior of the valve by the hollow annular casing 36. The inlet member 28 is substantially the same as the inlet member shown in Fig. 3, extending within the reservoir 3 and having apertures 22 in the sides thereof. The upper valve member 38 when in closed position seats in the valve seat 39 formed in the inlet member 20 below the apertures 22.

The valve stem 230, which is formed with a reduced portion 30, is made solid, the lower end below the joint 48 being preferably formed of iron so as to act as a plunger for the solenoid 35 to control the actuation of the valve stem 23a. A piston 4i is connected to the valve stem 23a and is enclosed within the piston cylinder 42 which is connected to the pressure pipe 12 by an opening 43. An opening 42a leads from the lower end of'the piston cylinder 42 to the outer air so that the pressure below the piston will remain at atmospheric pressure at all times. A heater 31 is also provided in this form of valve, a plug 44 being threaded into the bottom of the casing I! which may be removed to permit the insertion or removal of the heating element 31. With this form of valve, when the valve stem is raised by action of the solenoid so that the upper valve member 38 is above the apertures 22, the liquid from the reservoir may drain from the reservoir through the inlet opening 45 into the chamber 46 in the upper portion of the valve casing. Slots 41 connect the valve chamber 46 with the lower valve chamber 48 so that the liquid may drain from the chamber 46 down into the bottom of the chamber 48. With the valve stem in raised position, the reduced portion 30 does not coincide with the outlet 28 which therefore remains closed. As the pressure pipe I2 is connected to the straight air application pipe I8, whenever the brakes are set by operation of the motormans valve 8, pressure is forced through the opening 43 into the piston cylinder 42 above the piston 4|, thus forcing the valve stem into as shown in Fig. 4. As soon as the brakes are released, the pressure escapes from the piston cylinder 42 through the opening 43 and the pipe [2 and when current is supplied to the solenoid, the valve is again raised to open position. By this arrangement, the liquid in the drain jinto thevalve ca sing where, due to quient application i throughthe' outlet 29: V I

'Ihedrainage valve shown in' Fig. isprovidd with a hollow stem 23b and apertures 26 fand 21 leading from the opening 25 to the outer sideoi' the valve stem. Apertures 22" arelikewise proof the freservoir'is frequentlj. permitted to vided in the side'of the inlet member?!) wh ioh,

the liquid to "fiovv from the reservoir through" the aperturesffifi down through the central opening 25 and out through theapertures 21firitothewthe'inlet member '20;

Anair -tight partition?!) i s provi'ded in the valve casing [9 so a'sto preventany leakage of pressure from the chamber above the partition intoithe chamber 5 2forinedbelovv'the same. Heaters 3'! Whiohfniay b theform of aringarepreferably his] partition. A pistonpbsitionedbettveen the top of the piston 53' and the top of thevalve easing l9 whichitends to urge the valve stem'downwardly into closed po- An apertuije 55 connects the interior "of the chamber 5 l to tliejair pressure line I I 2' so that applied" pressure 'is reservoir into the chamber 52 may escape around the reduced. portion 3! the outlet 29.

the casing l9 above the piston 5! whenever the brakes are applied, thus forcing the valve stem downwardly into closed position. .I'I'he weight of the Water in the piston andvalve stem tends to finger other resilient member 54 is l0 drainage valve. Also the lower end 63 of the easing i9 Containing the outlet '60 is threaded on't'othe remainder of the valve casing and maybe removed'if it is desirable to do so I without requiring removal of the drainagevalve.

A heatingelenient 3? is also positioned within'the valve casing andm'a'y beinserted through the opening 64 in the bottom of the casing which is closed by a -pl ug B5.

Although" specific valvemembers have been 1; Thecombination with"a fluid pressure systenrhaving 'a' compressed air reservoir, a compressor for V supplying air "is operated electrical energy is simultaneously supplied to said heating element. i

2. A drainage valve adapted to be connected to a fluid pressure by the pressure in said system for moving said valves in the opposite direction upon application of the brakes.

4. A drainage valve adapted to be connected to a fluid pressure system having a main reservoir comprising a casing having, an outlet aperture in the lower portion thereof, a chamber extending from said casing and communicating therewith for insertion into said reservoir, said chamber having an inlet aperture wherebyliquid in said system may enter said chamber directly and flow down into said casing, a valve stem having valve members thereon for opening and closing said apertures alternately, and means for operating said valve stem to open and close said inlet and said outlet whereby liquid may be drained from said system with substantially no reduction of pressure therein, said valve stem having a longitudinal opening therein through which said liquid flows in passing from said inlet to said outlet.

5. The combination with a fluid pressure system having a compressed air reservoir, a compressor for supplying air to said reservoir, a source of electrical energy, and means intermittently acting to supply electrical energy to operate said compressor, of a drainage valve connected to said system comprising a casing having an outlet aperture in the lower portion thereof, a chamber extending from said casing and communicating therewith for insertion into a portion of a fluid pressure system, said chamber having an inlet aperture whereby liquid in said system may enter said chamber directly and flow down into said casing, valve means arranged to open one aperture and close the other alternately, means for opening and closing said apertures whereby liquid may be drained from said system with substantially no reduction of pressure therein, and an electrical heating element positioned within said casing, said heating element being connected to said source of electrical energy whereby whenever said compressor is operated electrical energy is simultaneously supplied to said heating element.

6. The combination 'th a fluid pressure system having a compressed air reservoir, a compressor for supplying air to said reservoir, a source of electrical energy, and means intermittently acting to supply electrical energy to operate said compressor, of a drainage valve connected to said system comprising a casing having an outlet aperture in the lower portion thereof, a chamber extending from said casing and communicating therewith for insertion into a portion of said fluid pressure system, said chamber having an inlet aperture, a valve stem having valve members thereon for opening and closing said apertures alternately, said valve stem having a longitudinal opening therein through which liquid may flow in passing from said inlet to said outlet, whereby liquid in said system may enter said chamber directly and flow down into said casing,means for operating said valve stem to open and close said inlet and said outlet whereby liquid may be drained from said system with substantially no reduction of pressure therein, and an electrical heating element positioned within said casing, said heating element being connected to said source of electrical energy whereby whenever said compressor is operated electrical energy is simultaneously supplied to said heating element.

EDWARD W. ANGER. 

